Fortify, a Boston-based 3D printing startup, and Rogers Corporation announced their partnership to enable additive manufacturing of low-loss dielectric materials for RF devices and electronics.
The partnership allows both companies to leverage their areas of expertise to unlock scalable manufacturing of high-value RF components. Rogers Corporation’s market dominance in low-loss, high frequency materials combined with Fortify’s advanced composite processing capabilities enables customers to efficiently design and print precision substrates, Luneberg-like gradient refractive index lenses and end-use components. Fortify’s Continuous Kinetic Mixing (CKM) powered DLP platform enables high throughput production of fine-featured parts out of heavily loaded materials that are otherwise difficult to process.
“As our world becomes increasingly connected, so does the need for faster and higher capacity wireless connections,” said Trevor Polidore, new product development group leader at Rogers Corporation. “Partnering with Fortify will allow Rogers to deliver a complete solution for the manufacturing of 3Dprinted dielectric components, enabling our customers to create the next generation of wireless systems.”
Wireless communications and satcom systems have led the expansion of active antenna systems (AAS) use into mainstream consumer applications. By taking advantage of AAS’s ability to generate highly directive signals that can be electronically steered and form various beam patterns, the latest applications such
While traditional DLP platforms struggle to print highly viscous materials, CKM technology employed on all Fortify Flux Series printers allow for the processing of advanced materials, such as Rogers’ low-loss materials, while maintaining material quality and consistency throughout the manufacturing process.
“With Rogers, we are positioned to commercialize the first scalable, low-loss 3D printed RF dielectric materials,” said Josh Martin, CEO and co-founder of Fortify. “This partnership is a great example of how innovative materials and technology companies can come together and provide a differentiated value proposition to a rapidly growing market. Fortify has a scalable way of manufacturing continuously varying dielectric material, which is a game changer for the scanning beam antenna market (5G, surveillance, remote sensing and security)."
Applications of this new technology include passive lens devices that augment gain and directivity for single or multi feed systems found in RF sensing and satcom on-the-move commlinks and 5G AAS systems to widen field of view and reduce sidelobe levels.
The advantages of Fortify's 3D printers for printed RF dielectric technology include: lower weight, wide bandwidth, scalable manufacturing, structure design freedom, quick turnaround parts and more. The two companies continue to collaborate to optimize printing processing parameters to realize all these benefits and more.
Fortify will be exhibiting at the upcoming International Microwave Symposium (IMS), June 7-9 in Atlanta, Ga. Visit Booth #1451 to meet with Fortify and learn more.